Loop-setter.



J. M. TRfiLETT.

LOOP SBTTIFR. APPLICATION FILED NOY.26,1912.

Patented May'lg, 1914.

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LOOP SETTER.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV.26,1912'.

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ATTORNEYS I JAMES M. TRIPLETT, OF V ENATCHEE, 'WASHINGTON.

, IQO OP-SETTER.

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Specification of Letters fatent.

. Patented May 19, 1914.

Application filed November 26, 1912. Serial No. 733,628.

T0 (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES M. TRIPLETT, a.citizen of the United States, and a resident of lVenatchee, in thecounty of Chelan and State of Washington, have invented a' outinterfering with the operation of the machine in the performance of itsusual display functions.

Amongthe objects, therefore, of the invention, is to provide a mechanismof a simple nature under the immediate control of the operator of themachine whereby the loop may be setor shifted as may be re.-

quired without stopping the machipe or in terfering w1th its intendedpurpose.

A further object of the invention is to devise an attachment adapted foruse in connection with any standard moving picture machine, any changesnecessary to adapt the device for the various machines being of a simpleand easily understood character.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafter bemore fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawingsaccompanying this specification in which like characters of referenceindicate correspondingparts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is arear elevation of a well known form of moving picture machine to whichthis improvement is applied; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken at rightangles to Fig. 1 and showing the upper parts diarammatically; Fig. 3 isa detail view showlng the principal parts of my improvement in theposition which they will occli w \il1e1'i setting the-loop; Fig. 4 is asimilar view showing the parts in normalposition; and Figs. 5 and 6 aredetail perspective views of several parts described below.

Referring particularly to the drawings, I show, by Way of illustration,a standard form of moving picture apparatus 10 in- As usual, the film isoperated downwardly from the upper magazine (not shown) between rollers12, be tween an upper sprocket 13 and a tension roller 14:XVl18I'G itforms a loop 15, thence passingover an upper film gate roller 16,

thence downwardly between an intermittent sprocket 17 and a lower filmgate roller I8 forming a lower loop 19 and passing thence over alowersprocket 20 and under a tension roller 21 to the lower magazine 22,where'it is rolled upon a reel 23.

The foregoing description of the film and guiding means is to beunderstood as illustrative rather thanv in a limiting sense, the objectof such description being to make it clear how the invention may beapplied.

In practice there are times when the lower loop 19, for example, becomestaken up and the film is in danger of being broken due to the directpull thereon by the lower sprocket 20; In order to obviate this diffipreferred embodiment, I mount the lower I sprocket 20 upon a transverseshaft 24 which is journaled in a bracket 25 carried by the main frame ofthe machine. Said sprocket 20 is so mounted upon the shaft as to providea certain amount of longitudinal relative movement between them as, forinstance, by means of a slot 26 in one of the parts and a Stud 27projecting into said slot from the other of said parts. The stud,however, will insure the simultaneous rotation of the sprocket andshaft. The sprocket 20 is intended to operate substantially snuglyagainst one end of the bearing 25, and a pinion 28 is journaled looselyupon the shaft adjacent the other end of said bearing 25. Said pinion 28cooperates with any suitable gear 29 of the usual transmission mechanismof the machine and is maintained in such meshing position by means of aflange 28. To the opposite side of the pinion 28 is secured a clutchmember 30 which is adapted to cooperate with a clutch member 31 securedto a pulley from which the reel 23 is operated by means of a belt 33under normal conditions. pulley 32 is rigidly secured to the shaft 24.-in any suitable manner and hence when the clutch members areinterlocked, as shown in Fig. 4, the shaft and sprocket 20 will becaused to rotate by reason of the rotation of the pinion 28 from thetransmission 1nechanisln including the gear 29.

Should itbe desired, or necessary, to make or lengthen the loop 19 ofthe film, it may readily be done by stopping the rotation of The thesprocket 20, the other parts of the film operating devices continuing intheir regular movements. The result, therefore, will be that the loop 19will be formed-and when of the proper size the sprocket 20 may again bestarted with corresponding rotation of the reel 23. The means I employfor stopping the operation of the sprocket 20 and reel includes themeans shown in the form of a lever 34 by which the shaft 24 is slippedlaterally through the sprocket 20 and hearing 25 sufficiently far todisconnect the clutch members 30 and 31. The pinion 28 being loose onthe shaft and maintained in position with respect to the gear 29'will nolonger transmit rotation to the shaft, but

will continue rotating idly around the shaft-- 24. The means I prefer toemploy for connecting the lever 34 to the shaft includes a head 35having loose pivotal connection at 36 with one end of the lever. The endof the shaft is extended into a socket 35 of the head and is providedwith an annular groove 87 into which one or more screws 38 project toprevent separation of the head and shaft but permitting free rotation ofthe shaft within the head. The lever 34 is pivoted upon the upper end ofa bracket 39 and secured in any suitable rigid position with respect tothe machine. I

At 40 is shown a spring surrounding the shaft 24 and acting at one endagainst the sprocket 20 and at the other end against a collar 41adjustably connected to the shaft, the tendency of such spring being tohold the clutch members 30 -and 31 in normal engagement, as shown inFig. 4. When, however, it is desired to set the loop, the operator willthrow the lever 34 so as to cause the shaft and collar 41 to operateagainst the tension of the spring 40 and throw the pulley 32 with itsclutch member 31 away from the clutch member 30. When the proper loop ismade, the operator, therefore, has but to release the lever 34,permitting the spring to throw the parts into their normal position.

The several parts of this attachment may be made of any suitablematerials, and the shifting hers between relative sizes, proportions andlocations thereof may be varied to a considerable extent, depending uponthe type or character of the machine to which the attachment is to beapplied, without departing from the spirit of the invention hereinafterclaimed. Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Let tors Patent l. The hereindescribed attachment for a moving picture machine comprising, in com-60.

bination, a. shaft, means to support the shaft for rotation, a sprocketsecured to the shaft for rotation therewith, said supporting meansholding the sprocket from. longitudinal movement, means to rotate theshaft and sprocket, said rotating means including a pinion looselymounted on the shaft, the pinion having a flange to prevent it .from ina direction parallel to its axis, fixed to the shaft, and clutch memthepinion and pulley normally connecting them together, and means to shiftthe shaft longitudinally with respect to the sprocket and pinion for thepurpose of stopping the operation of the sprocket while the pinion maycontinue to rotate. r

2. The herein described attachment ,for moving picture machinescomprising. a shaft, a support for the shaft a film sprocket connectedto the shaft for rotation therewith,- means to maintain the sprocket infixed position with respect to the axis of the shaft, means to rotatethe shaft including a clutch, one member of which is secured rigidly toone end of the shaft, a non-rotary head loosely secured to the other endof the shaft, a lever under the control of the operator connected to thehead for moving the shaft longitudinally of the sprocket to disconnectthe clutch, and means to automatically restore the parts to normalposition.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES. M. TRIPLETT.

a pulley l Vitnesses:

N. M. SoRnNsoN, MYRTLE C. ROGERS.

